


all in a name

by potsticker1234



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fire Nation Royal Family, Flashbacks, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Past Child Abuse, Post-Canon, Rising Above, maybe zuko's banishment was the best thing that could have happened to him, tyzula - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27828070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potsticker1234/pseuds/potsticker1234
Summary: Named after Azulon, Azula thinks she may never step out of his shadow.(She hates her name.)
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 95





	all in a name

A pinnacle of Fire Nation engineering, the Great Gates of Azulon spanned a vast distance over the ocean. They seemed more for the purpose of imposing a threatening border than to serve as a means to keep intruders out. The fires a symbol of his colonization of the Earth Kingdom and raids on the Southern Watertribe.

Azula found herself drawn to the statue’s stern face. The stone image of the man for whom she was named stared back at her. It made her blood run cold how much she shared in common with her grandfather. Both were the best firebenders of their generation, military geniuses, and once ruthless conquerors. The lust for blood and power ran deep through her veins. 

As the nets reeled in to let the Fire Navy ship pass, Azula felt a bit lighter knowing that she was not meant to carry on his legacy. At one moment in time, she would have burnt the world to the ground if it meant living up to the conquests of previous Firelords. But that ambition died with her when her own father cast her aside and left her to rule the Fire Nation. 

Once, the thought of being the Firelord would have warmed Azula to the bone, but now it felt like a terrible nightmare. A fever dream that was all unfortunately too true. By fighting her brother and almost ending his life with a swift strike of lightning, she had unknowingly continued Azulon’s legacy of favoritism and division. There was an eerie parallel between the way he treated her father and her uncle and her own struggle with Zuko. 

This seemed to be the prize of the royal family, not the throne, nor the five-point headpiece, but rather a bloodied rivalry. Oh how she wished to tear down those gates one by one with her bare hands, but tradition dies hard in the homeland. 

Looking forward, the volcanic ring sat comfortably at the heart of the island. Throughout her life, she had only known love in the form of volatile fire and magma. It was only shown to her sporadically and only when she was capable of making the earth’s plates move with her own power and determination. Any other emotion came in the form of smoke, choking her out, suffocating her. Whether it was the fear of her peers that she craved, or the absence of her mother, it was all the same; a permanent haze that blanketed her mind.

And for so long she lived in that smoke seeing life through a thick layer of ash, always afraid to make the wrong move or else disturb the balance. But it seemed like the only wrong move in her father’s eyes was showing weakness. When she was five years old, she skinned her knee playing outside with her brother. The fall tore her clothing and she burst into tears. Ursa had done nothing but harp on her for ruining her outfit, but when her father instructed her that good leaders never cry, she took his words to heart and vowed to cut the weakness out of her life.

Anything that wasn’t total love for her father or the homeland was also considered weakness. And try as she might, she was never perfect at hiding it. The older she grew, the worse the punishments became. Her father never laid a finger on her the way he had scarred Zuko, but it would start small and grow exponentially.

She was eleven years old when Zuko was banished, and she thought it was for the better. He had spoken out of turn and exposed his weakness and father had punished him for being so foolish. The days to come were tense with just Azula and Ozai as the remaining members of the royal family. With Zuko gone, she thought she could relax a bit, not having to prove herself better than her brother. But she was wrong in the worst way possible. All of Ozai’s attention was on her and he realized she had a lot more to learn if she was to become his successor one day.

Zuko and Uncle Iroh had only been gone for six months when Azula was first sent to bed without dinner. Ozai made a passing remark about her firebending forms being sloppy that day and she vowed she would try harder the next time, but he informed her that failure would not be accepted again. 

Her stomach growled as she sat alone in her room. She grew hungry and her thoughts blurred, though one thing rang clear, she would never miss her mark again.

She was thirteen years old when Ozai changed up her training schedule. Instead of the experienced mentors she sparred with, in came a young boy no older than her. He was clearly lost and confused and his only crime was attempting to steal bread from the bakers who supplied the food for the royal kitchen. A guard had caught him skulking about and it was Ozai’s personal request that he be taken into the training grounds.

Azula awaited her father’s command, not quite sure what she was supposed to do with the boy. When Ozai flared his nostrils and commanded that the boy stand up and fight his daughter for a chance at freedom, the young boy held his hands above his face begging for mercy, he had only learned basic firebending forms and knew that he could not beat the Princess.

Azula found the situation quite pathetic and told her father that she deserved a much more competent opponent, and that was the last time Azula spoke without thinking.

Like poison on his tongue, her name fell from his mouth in reprimand and he ordered her to fight with the street urchin. The dangerous look in his eye convinced her to not hold back. The boy was screaming in terror as his skin blistered from the heat. He tried to block the attacks but his attempts were futile. Adrenaline rushed through Azula’s body and all she could think about was that whatever pain he was feeling right now, would be nothing in comparison to what Ozai was capable of doing.

The ship harbored at port before Azula had even noticed the land drawing nearer. The gates were now a pinprick on the horizon and the coastal breeze rustled through her hair. Unsurprisingly, Ty Lee was waiting for her on the dock. She really hated business trips that required her to be gone longer than a week, but as part of Zuko’s royal court, such things were unavoidable.

Azula let Ty Lee’s strong arms wrap around her the instant her foot struck solid ground. The girl felt the tension in her body, “Did you lose the trade deal with the Earth Kingdom? What’s wrong?”

The Princess gripped onto her tighter, “No, that’s not it. I’m just tired.”

Ty Lee pulled away and saw no signs of physical weariness in her.

“Tired of the way people still cower at the sight of a Fire Navy ship like it’s coming to invade, tired of the antiquated thought that all firebenders are inherently evil, tired that despite our efforts; everyone still thinks we are what’s wrong with the world.”

“Azula, you know that’s not true. Zuko has done nothing but make reparations over the years,” Ty Lee’s words fell on deaf ears.

One hand twirled Azula’s side bangs while the other rubbed comforting circles over her arm, “And look at how much _you_ personally have accomplished, Azula.”

And there it was, her name uttered with the most love and respect she had ever heard in her lifetime. Being named after Firelord Azulon was once a source of pride for her, but after the war it quickly became another thing she despised about herself. Until now, when Ty Lee let it roll off her tongue like the most beautiful name in all of existence.

No longer was she Princess Azula, prodigy and granddaughter of Azulon; no, she was simply just Azula.

The Azula that had overcome her father’s conditioning, the Azula that stepped out of the extreme expectations she set for herself, the Azula that helped restore peace and harmony to the Fire Nation. And most importantly, Ty Lee’s Azula.

And that was all that mattered to her.


End file.
